Broken Youth
by BatDarling
Summary: Will of Fire: Part 1 Life as a shinobi is filled with difficult twists and turns, shaping you into the person you were meant to be. From a little before Team Minato is formed to the Uchiha Massacre, this is a story just waiting to be told.
1. Form

Will of Fire: Broken Youth SYOC

Hello! This is going to be part one of a trilogy called Will of Fire! Broken Youth will go from a little before Team Minato is formed to the Uchiha Massacre. Please do not plan things that happen after that (don't plan for your OC to be leader of Team 4 that starts when team 7 does) I'll have another contest for OCs of that story once I get to writing that. Also, while I don't want any Sues, I do want your OC to be fully immersed in the world. Connect them to as many canon characters as you'd like in whatever ways you'd like! Just know that unless you convince me that your OC will smoothly fit into the story they won't be there. Your OC can't be Naruto's older sister, as it wouldn't make any sense with canon. She could, however, be Shikamaru's older sister. It's going to take me a crazy long time to plot out this entire story, which is why I'm starting now. Please PM your forms to me, I'll ignore the ones in reviews. Have fun!

This form will be slightly chaotic as the story will take place over several years. If you have any questions feel free to PM me! ~BatDarling.

* * *

Name:

Clan: (You don't need a known one, or any)

Kekkei Genkai: (Also don't need)

Chakra Nature(s):

Phrase/Word Used Often: (Not needed)

Background: (PLEASE be as detailed as possible. If there is any moment that is special don't go into extreme details here, that's the next section.)

Special Memories: (These will be used for possible flash back moments)

Special Jutsu: (Like Naruto's Shadow Clones or Rasengan)

Summons: (Not needed)

Genin

What age did they become one:

Appearance: (clothes as well)

Personality:

Fatal Flaw:

Nindo:

Fears:

Fighting Style:

Weapons:

Jutsu Frequently Used:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Friends:

Crushes:

Enemy/Rivals:

Chunin

What age did they become one:

Any Changes? List them and why.

Appearance:

Personality:

Fatal Flaw:

Nindo:

Fears:

Fighting Style:

Weapons:

Jutsu Frequently Used:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Friends:

Crushes:

Enemy/Rivals:

Jonin

(Don't have to reach this level)

What age did they become one:

Any changes? List them and why.

Appearance:

Personality:

Fatal Flaw:

Nindo:

Fears:

Fighting Style:

Weapons:

Jutsu Frequently Used:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Friends:

Crushes:

Enemy/Rivals:

Special

(Don't need to reach this level)

What branch: ANBU, Medic Nin, Sensory, Intel, Teacher, other?

What age did they become one:

Any changes? List them and why.

Appearance:

Personality:

Fatal Flaw:

Nindo:

Fears:

Fighting Style:

Weapons:

Jutsu Frequently Used:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Friends:

Crushes:

Enemy/Rivals:

* * *

This is a complicated part. Everyone can't just pick exactly who they want and get them, so pick four people you most want in the group with your OC and three possible Senseis. Don't just say "I really like Gai and Irkua so I'm going to choose them!" Think about how you want your group to work, what kind of team mates your OC would work with. If you convince me the group you want will work smoothly I'll use it! Also, I'm willing to bend ages of most people… so don't worry too much about that. Think most of the Jonin in Naruto are the Genin now, and the parents of the Rookie 9 are the Sensei.

Team mates

1st choice:

2nd:

3rd:

4th:

Sensei

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

Why should your OC get the first two team mates and the first Sensei?

Would you be okay with having an OC as part of your team?

As a Sensei?

That's all… anything else?

* * *

Tata!


	2. Teams Assemble!

Hey guys! I've finally decided on everyone and put them into their teams. I hope you like what I've done! I changed as little as possible, only what was needed to fit into the story. Please tell me if I didn't portray your character how you imagined them, after a few chapters I'll start getting them down so I need to make the changes now! Thank you for all the submissions :) I hope you enjoy this first chapter!

* * *

The students were fidgeting in their seats; their sensei was late, as always. They had just passed their final exams the day before and were each awarded their very own hitai-ate. Everyone silenced immediately as the door squeaked open. Ayame Sensei walked in, limping her way over to her desk to sit. Her students had lost count of the times she'd told them the story of her and the bear, it always came up when her limp was worse, which it was today.

"Good morning, class. I guess I can't call you that anymore though." She smiled; her sparkling blue eyes grew crinkles around them. She brushed her greying hair back from her face. "I'm sorry I was so late, my leg was giving me trouble; see this darn limp just keeps getting worse. The bear was worse though! Why I…" Her students groaned and she sighed. "I supposed I can't keep pestering you with that story anymore. Very well, on to what you all came here for." Everyone sat up, suddenly very interested in what their teacher was saying.

"Once I've called your whole team, you may leave to your assigned meeting place. I'll be telling you that as well, don't look so panicked!" The new Genins forced themselves to relax, glancing to check if their neighbor had been just as tense. Ayame Sensei cleared her throat.

"Team Three." She started. "Asuma Sarutobi." At the mention of his name, a little blonde girl leaned forward eagerly, hoping her name to join his. "Izumo Kamizuki. The two of you will meet your new Sensei and third team mate at Training Ground Five. Best of luck." She said, holding back tears. The two looked curiously at each other before heading out the door. The students had been wondering how the teams would work as there were eleven people in the class. Rumors had been circulating that the people who had graduated early would be used to fill in the gaps, though no one had really believed that until now.

"Team Four. Hayate Gekko, I'm afraid you're the only one of your group here. Please meet the others and your new Sensei on the sundeck by the Hokage office. Best of luck." If Hayate was shocked, he didn't show it. He simply stood up and walked off, ignoring the worried look from his best friend.

"Team Five. Ebisu Ito, congratulations." The boy in the very front row jumped up excitedly as his name was called; he was a year older than the rest of the class. He had been mildly distracted the year before and horribly failed his exam. "And Genma Shiranui." Hayate's best friend stood up, now scowling at his friend's good fortune. "You two will meet the third member and your new Sensei at Training Ground Eight. Best of luck." She let out a small sob, but quickly composed herself, half her class was now gone.

"Team Six. Tadashi Nakamuro." Ayame looked up with a smile. "And Hamai Namikaze." The little blonde girl jumped up excitedly. "The Hokage read your report and decided to let you join a team." Tadashi smiled and held up a hand for Hamai to high-five. Traditionally, if a student graduates early from the Academy they were left to train with a mentor until they were twelve, when they were joined with a Genin team. "Please meet your other team mate and Sensei at Training Ground Seven. Best of luck."

"Team Seven. Obito Uchiha and Rin Tanaka." Obito punched his fist into the air with a cheer. Rin gave a small sigh, but smiled. The two left, the boy with a bounce in his step. "Your team mate and Sensei will be waiting at Training Ground Three. Best of luck." Ayame smiled at the two left in her class room.

"Gai Might and Hibari Nara, you two are part of Team Nine. Please meet the rest of your team at the entrance gates. Best of luck." She smiled as the two walked (Gai pranced) out of the room. She sat down on her desk and let out a sigh. "They never let me tell the bear story."

* * *

Asuma and Izumo had been sitting at Training Ground Five for a little over an hour. They made small talk, sparred a little, but mostly just sat around bored.

"Are you sure this is where we were supposed to meet?" Izumo asked again. Asuma shrugged and gave the answer he had the past six times.

"This is where Ayame Sensei said to meet." He lay back in the grass, placing his hands behind his head.

"I hope they hurry up and get here!" Izumo started whining again. Asuma blocked him out, knowing what he would say next. "I wonder who are Sensei is… I hope we get Minato Namikaze! I wonder if Hamai was allowed into a team? Wouldn't it be cool to have one of the Sanin?" Asuma sighed; he prayed his new team mate wasn't this scatterbrained in battle, though it might confuse the enemy… "There they are!" Asuma shot up, following where Izumo was pointing to. Coming through the trees, jumping as fast they could, were the missing members of their team.

Just as the two boys scrambled to their feet, Choza Akamichi landed in front of them.

"Hello, there! Sorry to be late. I forgot which Training Ground I told Ayame and so we've been running back and forth around all of them!" He gave a large smile.

"Hey! I'm Chihiro Fujkaze!" The girl pushed herself forward, holding out her hand to the two boys in front of her. She had long chocolate brown hair that was back in two braids with parted bangs, and olive shaped, emerald green eyes. They noticed several scars on her arms already. She gave a large smile, showing off a few crooked teeth. She was wearing black sandals, red shorts, and a turquoise and white v-neck with the kanji 'rain' on it. Her head band was placed slightly tilted on her forehead. There was a black rope around her neck, but what it held was hidden under her shirt.

Izumo quickly shook her hand, introducing himself and Asuma, who gave a short wave as well.

"Ahh, introductions!" Choza said loudly. "Everyone let's sit. I have a few questions for you to answer." They all sat down in a half circle, the Genin facing Choza.

"First, tell me what your goal is. Second, tell me what means the most to you. And third, tell me what you fear most." His words were met with silence. "Chihiro, since you've been with me three years already I get to pick on you." The brunette grimaced.

"My goal is to become the best shinobi the Konoha has ever seen! My team mates mean the most to me. I fear…" She stopped herself, glaring heavily at Choza. "I fear heights." She mumbled finally.

"I'll go next!" Izumo nearly shouted, not noticing Chihiro's agitation at revealing her fear. "I will become a great Chunin who gets to work with Kotetsu all the time! My friends mean the most! And… um… I guess I fear drowning." Asuma nodded slowly, knowing it was his turn next.

"My goal is to distance myself as much from the Sarutobi name as possible. My freedom means the most. And I fear being stuck in this village for the rest of my life." Choza frowned slightly at his tone, but he quickly switched to smile.

"Great! Now it is time to fight!"

"What?" The three cried out.

"But, we're team mates?" Izumo questioned.

"Yes, who better to spar against? You three must know each other's strengths and weaknesses like your own. Now go! Spend the rest of the day fighting. Don't stop until I give you permission." They stared in shock as he pulled out a box and began eating, happily sitting in the shade. Chihiro snapped out of the shock first.

"Well let's go!" She pulled out kunai and jumped away from the others.

"No fair, you've been out training for three years!" Izumo called, also pulling out a kunai. Asuma pulled out his chakra blades, standing his ground but bracing himself.

Choza was paying more attention to the three than it seemed. He had his eyes half closed and was still eating, but he was watching their every move. Having been a part of Ino-Shika-Cho since his first days as a Genin, he was hyper aware of how important teamwork was. According to the Hokage, he was placed leader of these three simply because of their inability to work with a team.

He watched as Chihiro weaved hand sign after hand sign, she must be furious that he picked a ground away from a water source. When she graduated the Academy three years ago, Chihiro was the angriest child he had ever seen, of course she didn't outwardly show it often, but he could sense it inside her. She didn't trust others easily, making working on a new team particularly hard.

Asuma was countering her every chance he got, swinging his blades in powerful arcs. He almost nicked her a few times. All three were soaked in water from Chihiro's ninjutsus, and Asuma saw her weakening. He began attacking with everything, forcing her to go on the defensive. The stubborn boy had been the biggest concern of the Hokage. Hiruzen feared that his son was so against him that he would turn against all Leaf ninja as well. Choza understood the problems of being the son of an important man, his father was the Akamichi clans head, and he would soon have to take over.

Izumo was the driest of the three, as he spent most of his time dodging. It was obvious the boy didn't know what to do with himself. He hadn't developed a certain technique to call his own yet, which is the problem most young shinobi suffered. Ayame made a note about how attached to Kotetsu Izumo was, she was worried that because Kotetsu was a year behind, Izumo wouldn't want to work with any other team. Her assumption seemed to be correct as Izumo made no move to help either of his team mates; instead focusing on getting in any hits he could while avoiding their blows.

Choza sighed, he had told them to attack each other, but he was hoping they wouldn't be quite so _eager_ to do it. He had nine months until the Chunin Exams to make them into a functioning team.

He looked down and frowned. He may not be able to pass this team…

"Stop!" Choza's head shot up suddenly. Izumo was lying on the ground, a kunai close to his heart. Chihiro was kneeling over him, her eyes full of shock. Asuma was standing behind her, holding her arm back, the only thing stopping her from killing Izumo. Chihiro back up suddenly, dropping her kunai.

"I'm so sorry… I got carried away." Izumo smiled, poofing into a log. The real Izumo came walking out from behind the trees.

"Thanks, Asuma! I don't think I would have had time for a substitution had you not stopped her." Both Asuma and Chihiro let out a sigh of relief.

"Er, we should keep fighting. Choza Sensei hasn't said we can stop." Izumo pointed out.

"You almost died." Asuma countered.

"But I didn't." He smiled. "And now I know not to let Chihiro that close, you learned from my mistake, and she learned to take a chill pill." Asuma and Chihiro stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"Oh, fine! Let's go. But you're buying dinner after this!" Chihiro called out, pulling out another kunai.

"I agree." Asuma smirked, getting his blades set. Izumo sighed.

"I suppose… but only for the winner!" He cheered before jumping back into the fight. Choza relaxed against the tree, satisfied that his team would survive.

* * *

Hayate shuffled his way over to the sundeck, taking his time. He and Genma had discussed many times how at least one of the teams would have a member who didn't graduate with them. He never suspected that he would be put with two. As he neared the sundeck he heard a loud, feminine laugh that was easily recognizable to most everyone. He looked up, and sure enough Kushina Namikaze was leaning over the railing of the deck, waving down to him.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" She laughed again. Hayate moved slightly faster, wondering how mad she would be with him. He raced up the stairs to join his new team. "Finally!" Kushina laughed. "Welcome. I'm Kushina Uzu… oh, whoops! Namikaze!" She laughed again. "I can't believe I'm still doing that!"

"I'm Hayate Gekko." He introduced himself. He then noticed the two girls sitting on the stairs behind Kushina. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ahh, yes. I know." She winked, causing him to blush slightly, which, of course, made her laugh. "Sit down, let's get these introductions started!" Hayate went to the two and sat down. "So, this is how we're going to do it." Kushina clapped her hands together. "Most Sensei make their team go through a test of some sort or have them spar against each other with some kind of trick in mind. I'm going to be completely honest with you. You may be sent back to the Academy." She let her words sink in for a moment.

"I'm going to start with a question, then the three of you have to answer it. Then Kaori will ask a question, and us three will have to answer, and it keeps going. Alright?" She dropped down cross legged on the floor, her smile still on. "If I feel you three aren't compatible at all, I'll disband this team. So be completely honest with each other! I'll know." She winked. "Ready? First off, what's your name?"

Kaori was sitting directly to the right of their Sensei, so she would go first. She had shoulder length, wavy, violet- black hair that was in a low ponytail with two fringes framing the sides of her face and huge violet-black eyes. She was sitting, but would easily be the shortest of all Hayate's classmates. She was skinny, with big ears and freckles. Her headband was sitting proudly on her forehead. She wore a black kimono style blouse with a v-neck and no sleeves, underneath was a yellow t-shirt and mesh armor. She had black pants that stopped at her knees and had bandages on her hands. She had a slight smile on her face as she answered, as if she was used to this kind of excitement from her Sensei.

"I'm Kaori Sara Muramato." The girl next to her seemed much more timid, despite Kaori being physically smaller. She has caramel brown hair, tied in a low ponytail with a white ribbon. Her face is slim and she has doll-like honey eyes, her skin being almost the color of ivory. She was dressed in a no-sleeved, light purple polo and a pair of grey pants with a pair of grey flats. Her hitai-ate was placed as a headband, holding back her bangs. She gave a soft smile before she spoke.

"I am Kasumi Yoshida."

"Hayate Gekko." He answered last. It was Kaori's turn for a question, and she knew exactly what to ask.

"What's your favorite jutsu?"

"Does it have to be one we can do?" Kasumi asked. Kaori shook her head. "Then mine is the Body Flicker Technique that Minato Sensei can do!" She gave a smile to Kushina.

"No fair, that was mine!" Kaori pointed accusingly at her. "Pick another." She demanded. Kasumi smiled.

"Okay." She answered, surprising Hayate. "The Flying Thunder God Technique."

"Minato Sensei does that as well!" Kaori pouted.

"But it's a different technique." Kasumi argued. Kaori opened her mouth, then shut it again. "Your turn." Kasumi said to Hayate.

"I'd have to say the Body Flicker." He said, partially because Minato was his idol, as he was with most young shinobi, and partially to see Kaori's reaction.

"I already said that it's mine!" She said, as predicted.

"But I said it before you did. So I can call it."

"No way!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Guys, please!" Kasumi interrupted before Hayate could say anything. "Let's just agree that all of Minato Sensei's abilities are very impressive. Kaori crossed her arms.

"Fine. Kushina Sensei?"

"Rasengan." She answered easily, a small smile playing on her lips.

"What's that?" Kasumi asked, intrigued.

"Well, if you promise to keep it a secret I'll tell you." The three leaned in excitedly.

"We promise!" Kaori said quickly for all of them.

"It's a new jutsu Minato is inventing. Maybe, if we ask real nicely, he'll show it to you." The girls' eyes were wide, and Hayate was just as impressed.

"Oh, please, I want to see it!" Kasumi said excitedly. Kushina waved her pleas away.

"I'll ask him! Now, ask your question." Kasumi smiled brightly.

"What is your favorite meal?" Hayate thought for a moment.

"Donburi."

"Plum Onigiri! You know that!" Kaori said excitedly.

"You skipped Kushina Sensei." Hayate pointed out.

"Oh, sorry." Kaori said quickly. Kushina waved it off.

"Nonsense. Thanks, Hayate! My favorite meal, of all time, is ramen!" She smiled so big her eyes squinted slightly. "Hayate, your turn."

"When did you graduate the Academy? I think I remember you both." Kasumi nodded.

"Well, I graduated long ago." Kushina laughed. "I graduated at eleven, and I'm Twenty-four now, you do the math."

"That's not so long, Kushina Sensei." Kasumi laughed.

"Well I was in your class at first, but I jumped ahead a bit and graduated a year early, I've been working with Kasumi and Kushina Sensei since." Kaori answered proudly.

"I, well, the Academy was rather easy for me. I learnt most of it before I joined from my mother."

"She's too modest." Kaori smirked. "She graduated after just one year! Can you believe that? A Genin at eight!"

"Really?" Hayate was impressed. "So you've been working with Kushina Sensei since then?" He asked, looking to their Sensei for the answer, as Kasumi was blushing and looking at her lap.

"It's true. In fact, just last year she passed the Chunin Exams."

"No way!" Hayate turned to Kasumi. "You're a Chunin?"

"Yes…" She looked up, still blushing. "But I still have a lot of improvement! I need to be on this team, so you both can help me." Hayate shared a smile with Kaori, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.

"Yeah, it's totally you that needs to improve." Kaori rolled her eyes. "Please, you're not allowed to improve until Hayate and I catch up, especially me!"

"Especially you, since you'll be behind me as well." Hayate smirked as Kaori's face fell.

"Was that a challenge?"

"I believe so."

"No, please…" Kasumi tried to calm them.

"Next question!" Kushina shouted loudly. She smiled broadly as her students continued with her little game. At first she was a bit worried that being on a team with two girls would scare Hayate off, but he seemed to be doing well. Ayame had said he could best handle them, and she was right. Kaori's overbearing personality had matched well with Kasumi's passive one. Hayate's calm, almost aloof, yet challenging nature worked perfectly with theirs. Kushina's smile grew as the three once again started arguing. Oh yes, she was going to enjoy training them for the Chunin Exams.

* * *

Ebisu wouldn't shut up as he continued to talk about how exciting it was to finally be on a Genin team. His over-eagerness was starting to grate on Genma's nerves. Genma tightened his headband, a nervous habit he'd had with his bandana before he received his hitai-ate. He'd seen how some of the older shinobi wore specialized headbands, and he wondered if he could get his hitai-ate placed on a bandanna. Ebisu's words suddenly cut into his train of thought, causing him to nearly choke on his senbon.

"Here we are! Training Ground Eight! Look, that's Inoichi Yamanaka! He must be our Sensei, come on!" Ebisu took off in a sprint toward their Sensei. Genma signed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He picked up his pace slightly, knowing that if Hayate were here with him he'd be walking the same speed.

Once Ebisu reached the two, he turned toward his team mate, his eyes nearly popping out of his head behind his ever-present sun glasses. For being just twelve, it was obvious the girl would become quite a looker when she grew up. She was quite pretty with her oval face, almond shaped green-grey eyes and pink lips. However she was quite short. She had waist length, black hair in layers, which was braided back in a ponytail. She was wearing a red Chinese styled blouse and black pants with black slip on shoes. A bright smile was on her face as she introduced herself.

"I'm Sayuri Himaru." Ebisu took her hand, quickly shaking his senses back to normal.

"Pleasure, I am Ebisu Ito!"

"Hmm. Perv." She said smiling. Ebisu's own smile faltered.

"What did I tell you about nicknaming everyone?" Inoichi sighed, placing a hand on forehead.

"That I shouldn't say mean things. But if it's true, it shouldn't matter, right? At least I'm being honest." She smiled. "Ahh, and who are you?" Genma managed to finally make it to the trio.

"Genma Shiranui." He answered, surprising his Sensei that he was able to speak clearly around the senbon. Genma glanced over Sayuri, then reached over and smacked Ebisu on the head.

"What was that for?" He shouted, rubbing his head as Sayuri laughed.

"I'm sure you deserved it, one reason or another." He shrugged. Inoichi's hand stayed firmly in place on his forehead.

"I did not!"

"You did, too." Sayuri countered.

"What?"

"See, what did I tell you?"

"You can't both be against me!"

"I think we are."

"I'm Sayuri, by the way."

"Cool." Genma held out his hand and she shook it eagerly. They shared a smile, purposefully ignoring Ebisu as they continued their conversation. "So when did you graduate?"

"When I was seven, I started the Academy a year early. My clan trained me well, so it was fairly easy for me to pass everything. I've been training with Inoichi ever since."

"That's incredible. My parents taught me a little, but I could never have made it in a year. Hell, Ebisu took an extra year to pass."

"Why would you say that?" Ebisu's whine went ignored.

"I'm already a Chunin. I passed two years ago." She continued to brag lightly.

"Very impressive. Don't think that I'm lame because I took the regular time to graduate, I'm just lazy. Ebisu is the one who's lame."

"I am not!"

"I'll believe it when I see it, Senbon Abuser." Genma raised an eyebrow.

"What did you call me?"

"It's my nickname for you. His is Pervert Boy."

"Why?" Ebisu dropped to his knees, throwing his arms in the air.

"Very dramatic, isn't he?" Sayuri asked with a giggle.

"Alright, that's enough." Inoichi demanded, silencing his students. "Now that you're all introduced it's time to start your test."

"Test?" Ebisu jumped up quickly. "We just passed our test!" Genma shoved his hands back in his pockets, his eyes narrowing slightly. Even Sayuri's guard went up.

"Good, you're finally getting serious." Inoichi smirked. "I've hidden three flags around this arena. I will tell each of you where one of the flags is, it is your job to make sure that flag isn't taken by someone else. The goal of this test is to have all three flags in your possession by the time night falls." He glanced at the sky. "You have six hours." Inoichi then stared each of his new students in the eyes for a few moments. He performed a simple jutsu where he transferred an image to each of their minds. "Go." Inoichi jumped back to sit in a tree and watch his students. They stood there, staring each other down without moving.

"So… how is this going to go?" Genma asked.

"We can't just race off for our flags, someone might follow." Sayuri answered, crossing her arms.

"Well we can't just stand here either, or none of us will get any flags." Ebisu pushed up his glasses.

"Again, how is this going to go?" Sayuri smirked suddenly.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" She weaved a few signs and suddenly there were three of her standing before the boys. "I believe I have the advantage here."

"That's where you're wrong." Ebisu smirked, losing the immaturity he held only minutes before. "By making this move, you've changed the game. Before it was the three of us against each other equally, now you've pitted us both against you, making us allies." Genma smirked, knowing his logic was sound.

"Plus, we've been classmates for a year. I know how he works, and he knows how I work. You know nothing about either of us. Very bad move on your part, Princess." Sayuri fumed, all three of them. The middle one spoke.

"I can still beat you!" She and her two clones charged at the boys, forcing them to defend themselves. Immediately, the two went back to back, pulling out kunai.

"Your recklessness will be your downfall." Ebisu said condescendingly. The Sayuris attacked with fervor, more appearing as the boys quickly disposed of them.

"Stop, you're going to wear yourself out." Genma sighed as she showed no sign of listening to him. He quickly pushed away from Ebisu, jumping out of the circle of clones. He pulled out two senbon, attaching a barely noticeable thread to each of them and throwing them out toward the real Sayuri. Ebisu, noticing his plan, quickly charged the girl with hopes of distracting her.

It worked, and very suddenly Sayuri found herself wrapped up tightly in thread. Ebisu pulled her down into a sitting position as Genma strode over. He crouched down so he was eye-level with her.

"So, how is this going to go?" She let out a growl at his words, before slumping over. When she looked back up, her eyes had a faint glow to them.

"Nujie Ha!" Genma felt a rush of chakra hit him, though he wasn't knocked back. He felt a surge of guilt come over him; it was faint, but still there. He grimaced and grabbed Sayuri's shoulders worriedly.

"Shit, sorry!" He quickly sliced the thread holding her. "My flag's at the south end of the training ground, hidden behind a cluster of…" His expression changed to one of confusion.

"What are you doing?" Ebisu cried.

"I… don't know. What just happened?" He sat back on his feet, completely confused. Sayuri smiled proudly.

"That was my Kekkei Genkai, I'm still improving it, but it's good, huh?" She stood up quickly and took a few jumps back. "It causes someone to feel whatever emotion I choose. I can only hold it for a short while, but that's all I needed." She blew a kiss toward them. "Thanks for the flag!" She quickly ran into the trees surrounding the training field and vanished.

Genma frowned at the ground, hating that he had been taken over like that. "You sent out clones, right?"

"Of course." Ebisu scoffed. "Now I know of two flag locations, you know that, right?"

"Of course I know." Genma stood up and shook his head slightly. "That was weird." Ebisu straightened suddenly.

"One of the clones vanished, let's go." They hopped into the trees, Ebisu leading them to the last place his clone had been. Genma pulled back a bit farther, letting Ebisu have a five foot lead. The Genin didn't notice, he kept leaping ahead, just as Genma had hoped.

Suddenly, Ebisu tripped on a wire and was shot into the sky; he was dangling by a foot, which was tied up in trap that had been set previously.

"Ha, you got caught too!" Sayuri, who was only a few feet to the left, cried out in joy.

"I didn't think Inoichi would set up traps as well…" Ebisu sighed.

"He didn't." Genma smirked, leaning casually against a tree between them. "I sent a clone ahead to place them. You didn't think I'd just leave it unprotected, right? I've heard of the Himaru clan, I know they have manipulation abilities. I also know Ebisu is very clever with clones."

"Why, you…!" Sayuri shouted in frustration. Ebisu pulled out a kunai and went to cut his thread. "Stop!" She yelled. "There's a paper bomb attached at the top. Cut it and you'll blow this whole area." Ebisu hastily put his kunai away, looking gratefully at Sayuri. "Do you really think I would still be hanging here if there wasn't something stopping me?" Ebisu didn't have an answer. They all sat silently for a few minutes, Genma happily watching as the two struggled to get out without damaging the thread.

"Damn it, let us go!" Sayuri suddenly demanded. "We haven't got much time left and I don't want to be the one who fails!" Genma frowned.

"Wait, that doesn't even make sense." Ebisu pointed out. The other two looked at him curiously. "Think about it! We only pass if we've got the three flags in out possession, but that would mean the other two fail."

"Exactly?" Genma raised a brow.

"No… that's it!" Sayuri agreed. "Listen, how can we become a team if two are sent back to the Academy, it's either we all pass or all fail." Genma's eyes lit up.

"So we have to share the flags. All three of us." He sent out two kunai, quickly cutting the threads.

"They weren't real…" Sayuri scrunched up the strip of paper in her hand.

"Of course, I didn't want to kill you." Genma said as though it were the most obvious thing. "Grab your flags, meet you back in the center." The all nodded before taking off in opposite directions.

Within five minutes they were all back in the center. Inoichi came over to them, looking curious as they stood there waiting for him.

"So you each have your flag I see. However, you don't possess all three, so…"

"Actually, we do." Sayuri interrupted. "Inoichi Sensei, we are Team Five, and Team Five is in possession of all three flags." She bit her lip, the trio hoping that they were correct as the sun was close to setting. Inoichi relaxed his posture and smiled.

"I'm glad you figured it out." Sayuri jumped and cheered, Ebisu pumping his fists excitedly, and Genma sticking his flag into the ground to stand next to him. "Meet back here tomorrow at nine, we will begin training. Congratulations."

* * *

Hamai and Tadashi ran toward the training grounds, wanting to meet their Sensei and teammate as quickly as possible. Hamai was slightly shorter than average, having to take longer strides to keep up with Tadashi. She has blonde hair always pulled back in a long pony-tail with spikey bangs that partially covered her bright blue eyes. She wears a pink tank top underneath an off-the-shoulder, loose, tan top that goes to her mid-thighs. She has a belt around her waist and tight black shorts underneath. Her hitai-ate is black and worn as a headband behind her bangs.

Tadashi has scruffy, black hair and olive shaped, icy-blue eyes. He has a square shaped head and a long pointed nose. For a boy he is extremely short and skinny, often getting him mistaken for a ten year old instead of a twelve year old. He has thin eye brows and a hard jaw. He wears a red sweater with metal shoulder plates, black pants, red goggles on his head, black sandals, bandages around his ankles, and he wears his red head protector as a belt.

As they ran toward the entrance, they could see two figures sparring in the center. They were using only Taijutsu, which Hamai grimaced at, she despised Taijutsu. The boy looked to be younger than she was but was easily holding his own against their Sensei.

"No way, Shikaku Nara?" Tadashi stated. "I heard he only takes on teams formed of geniuses." Hamai looked worried.

"Do you think we're going to have to prove how smart we are?" He turned to her and gave a dark smile.

"I hope not, or you'll fail." Hamai backed up away as her friend's eyes grew cold.

"How can you say that?" She asked. Tadashi only grinned, pulling out a kunai slowly. "Tadashi?" He began swiping at her, attacking her with everything he had. She continued to dodge. "What are you doing?"

However, things happened differently for Tadashi. As they were walking, it was Hamai who pulled out the kunai first and began her relentless attacks. Tadashi effectively blocked one of her blows.

"What are you…?" He jumped back a step, continuing to dodge as Hamai continued her attacks. "You hate Taijutsu." He pointed out. Hamai suddenly dropped her kunai and smiled at him. The air around him shifted and he realized he and Hamai had been placed under a Genjutsu. Looking over, Hamai was still trapped.

"Leave her, she must figure it out on her own." Shikaku stated. It was then Tadashi noticed who had placed the Genjutsu: Itatchi Uchiha. The boy had his Sharingan activated, but didn't seem to be struggling to keep Hamai under his power. Itatchi gave a small smile and deactivated his Sharingan, and Tadashi turned to Hamai, who was smirking proudly at him.

"You didn't stumble over yourself at all."

"You used Taijutsu."

"It's impressive that you know each other's fighting well enough to know a Genjutsu when you see one." Shikaku praised them. "However, that was just the start of your test." Without warning, Shikaku threw a paper bomb down, forcing everyone to jump away to safety. The three regrouped quickly, but their Sensei was nowhere to be seen.

"So, I'm Hamai Namikaze!" She stated immediately, holding out her hand to Itatchi.

"Itatchi Uchiha." He responded. Sure enough, the boy was a year younger than her, if she remembered the stories correctly.

"I'm Tadashi Nakamuro." They nodded at each other, but remained serious. "We can talk more later; we need to complete this test."

"What exactly is the test?" Hamai questioned. The two Genin turned to Itatchi, who, based on stories, was already a Chunin.

"I'm not sure… he hasn't said anything about it to me before. I only knew that I was to trap you in Genjutsu as soon as I could. I apologize, by the way."

"No need!" Hamai assured him. "That was super impressi…" Itatchi looked up, catching the eye of his Sensei just in time to shove Tadashi and Hamai away from their current tree, just as another bomb struck it.

"Focus, Hamai!" Tadashi reprimanded. Her eyes turned serious and she nodded. "So he's attacking us, should we attack back?"

"I believe so…" Itatchi activated his Sharingan. He's not in the area, but that doesn't mean he hasn't left traps, tread carefully." The three quickly but carefully made their way out of the immediate area, hoping to get away from traps.

"I think part of our test is figuring out what we're to do." Tadashi mused. "I've heard Shikaku only trains geniuses, so he must be expecting a lot." Hamai bit her lower lip.

"So we set up a trap, lure him in, and catch him."

"Easier said than done." Itatchi stated. "Shikaku is a master strategist. He's already thought of every possible situation and a counteraction for it. We can't outthink him." His voice was filled with praise for the man.

"So what do we do?" Tadashi groaned. "There has to be some strategy he won't think of."

"We should do something stupid." Hamai said slowly. The boys stared at her in confusion. "He expects us to be smart, right? He's planning on it."

"So it we do the exact opposite, we might catch him off guard." Itatchi smiled. "That's brilliant." Hamai beamed.

"Okay, but there's still a problem." They looked at Tadashi. "We aren't stupid." The all sat, thinking for a moment. Itatchi stilled, the others noticing as he barely tensed.

"I'm going to place you under a simple Genjutsu; this will allow us to talk freely in a way that we can't be overheard. You'll also stay in control of your bodies, let's move." Hamai and Tadashi felt the air flicker around them, but as Itatchi promised, they were left in control of their bodies. The trio quickly moved away from their Sensei's prying eyes. On the outside, it appeared as though they were just jumping in circles around the field, though in their heads they were talking nonstop, developing their brilliantly stupid plan.

Hamai suddenly stopped and glared at the two. The boys turned back to her.

"If you're just going to keep being rude I don't want to be a part of this. It was a good idea and you know it!"

"Yes, the original idea. But what you're saying now makes no sense. Listen to reason." Tadashi tried reasoning with her.

"I know I didn't get top grades in our class, but I'm not stupid." Itatchi sighed.

"No one said you were."

"It was implied!" Tadashi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, we'll do your idea. Itatchi break the Genjutsu." Itatchi sighed, but did as requested.

"If this goes poorly…"

"Then I'll keep my mouth shut for the next plan, I promise!" Hamai smiled. The three didn't notice as Shikaku had been following them all along. He watched curiously as they jumped out into the middle of the field, he had heard their plans of doing something stupid, so he was on the watch for it. He sighed, it was a brilliant plan; he wouldn't be expecting it, except that they had said it aloud. Hamai and Tadashi started arguing loudly, drawing his attention away from his thoughts. He sighed, that was their plan? He decided to go along, and jumped out of the trees.

"What is going on?" Hamai turned toward him, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Now!" Tadashi cried, throwing out several kunai with threads attached, trying to tie down their Sensei. Itatchi jumped in front of Shikaku, staring him in the eyes. Itatchi jumped back a moment later as the clone exploded.

"Damn!" Hamai cried. The three sighed, walking closer to converse about a new plan. "Sorry, guys. I really thought…"

"Down!" Itatchi yelled, but it was too late. A net was thrown over the three, trapping them. Shikaku stepped out of the shadows.

"A good effort, though really, you shouldn't be so careless. Saying your plans out loud?" Hamai looked up at him in shock before turning to Itatchi.

"You are so brilliant!" She beamed. Shikaku raised a brow. It was then he noticed the slight fuzziness to his thoughts, the way the air was just a bit foggier than it should have been. His eyes widened as he dispelled the second Genjutsu.

He found himself standing in the exact same spot, though with a net thrown over a few rocks instead of his students. He was tied up, with threads holding paper bombs that would explode should they be cut. He looked to the side, seeing his students standing there, Hamai gazing at Itatchi in awe, while the two boys exchanged a high-five.

"When?" Shikaku asked. Itatchi smiled.

"Right before you threw the second bomb." Shikaku nodded approvingly." In the mess as we were getting away I explained what happened. Tadashi came up with the idea of acting normal."

"Hamai thought of the details though. How we should come up with a double fake and what they should be."

"Itatchi is the one who made it possible though. I honestly thought you would see through everything." Hamai finished. Shikaku gave a rare smile.

"I underestimated you three. A double bluff. Very well done, indeed." The three smiled back. "However, if you're doing that, you should always expect your opponent to do so as well." Shikaku Sensei vanished, being only a clone, and the real one walked out of the trees. "I'm impressed. You pass." The all exchanged high-fives.

"Itatchi you were so brilliant! I didn't think the rumors were true but that are and you're amazing!" Hamai gushed, Itatchi blushed slightly. She opened her mouth to continue, but Tadashi spoke first.

"Shikaku Sensei, what was the test exactly?" Tadashi asked curiously. The other two turned to pay attention, as they were curious as well.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"Well it obviously wasn't to best you, as that would be impossible." Hamai pointed out.

"It wasn't to catch you, as we only caught your clone." Itatchi added.

"Correct on both." Shikaku nodded. "It was simply to impress me." They stared at him in shock.

"That's it?"

"Really?"

"I can't wait to tell Minato!" Hamai spun in a circle excitedly. "And Kakashi! Ohh, I can't wait to tell him that I've got someone on my team even better than him!"

"I wouldn't say I'm better…" Itatchi mumbled.

"Of course you are!" Hamai argued.

"Don't try arguing, it'll only wear you out." Tadashi mumbled.

"Meet back here tomorrow morning, we'll begin missions." Shikaku told them before walking away. They all smiled, glad to be starting right away.

"Haha, now I can finally grow better than him!" Hamai announced, making Tadashi sigh.

"Who?" Itatchi asked.

"Kakashi! He can't hold the shuriken thing over my head anymore! I'll beat him!"

"Hamai, that's my goal."

"So? I just stole it, get another one." Tadashi and Hamai began walking back toward the village, performing their usual ritual of grabbing dinner at Icharuka's before heading home.

"It's been my goal since I met him. You like him, why would you want to beat him?"

"Because… I… just want to!" Itatchi laughed quietly at their antics, walking in the other direction to go train more.

"Hey, Itatchi!" Tadashi called back. "Want to join us?" The boy looked up, surprise written all over his face.

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Itatchi looked down at the ground, contemplating it. He hadn't made any friends outside of his clan since he went through Academy so quickly, it would be nice…

"Hamai can keep going on about how great you are." Tadashi added.

"Or we can just get to know each other." Hamai punched Tadashi in the arm. Itatchi smiled at them before jogging over.

"Where are we going?"

* * *

Kakashi and Minato were waiting patiently as Obito and Rin walked up. Rin immediately blushed and began messing with her hair as soon as she saw Kakashi. Obito noticed and frowned, immediately hating the boy. Kakashi pretended to ignore the two while he was actually inspecting them. He noticed both their actions, deducing that Obito was crushing on Rin, while she was crushing on Kakashi. Minato sighed, noticing these as well as noticing Kakashi dismissing them as mere nesciences.

"Hello, there. I'm Minato Namikaze. This is…"

"Kakashi Hatake!" Rin said excitedly. "I'm sorry! Her blush deepened. "My name is Rin Tanaka." Obito crossed his arms and scowled. Rin nudged him, but he just turned his head away. "This is Obito Uchiha." Kakashi merely raised an eyebrow at them. Minato sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, er… let's get started?" Rin and Kakashi turned toward him, showing that they were ready. Obito, however, kept his face firmly pointed away. "Obito, you can go first. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, and what your dream is." Obito turned toward them finally, his eyes sparkling.

"I like food! Any kind of food, really. I don't like know-it-all, stuck-ups!" He glared heatedly at Kakashi, who ignored him. "And my dream is to become the best, most famous Uchiha that ever lived!"

"You plan to beat Madara Uchiha?" Kakashi asked skeptically. "Tsch." Obito bristled as Kakashi so easily brushed him off. Before Obito could get really riled up, Rin intercepted.

"I like… well… someone." She blushed heavily as she glanced over at Kakashi, once again making Obito blanch. "I dislike people who overreact." She gave a half-hearted glare to Obito. "And my dream… is to have a family with someone as wonderful as Minato Sensei!" She once again blushed, both boys taking an awkward step away from her. Even Minato blushed slightly at her words. "I'm sorry!" She cried, covering her face.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm sure Kushina will love you." Minato waved his hands, his embarrassment easily fading.

"Really? We get to meet her?" Rin perked up.

"Of course! We've already planned to have our teams spar." Kakashi smirked, though no one but Minato could tell. "Yes, you'll get your rematch with Kasumi."

"I want to fight Kasumi!" Obito cried, despite not knowing who Kasumi was. "If she can beat Kakashi then I need to beat her!"

"She didn't beat me, fool." Kakashi said casually. Sensing a fight, Minato quickly diverted their attention.

"Kakashi, answer the questions!"

"Hm. There are a lot of things I like, and a lot I don't like. As for my dreams… hm." Rin and Obito stared at him in silence. Rin in awe, while the latter in disgust.

"That's not an answer!" He pointed accusingly at Kakashi, who swiped his hand away.

"Come on, guys. Let's not fight…" Minato sighed. "Test time!" The trio quickly quieted and turned their attention back to him.

"What?"

"Ahh, I didn't tell you about this did I, Kakashi? See, I can keep a secret!" He grinned proudly at himself.

"Yes, Sensei." Kakashi replied dryly. Minato didn't let his smile drop.

"It is time for the bell test." He pulled two small, silver bells out, connected to each other by a short black string." You have until night falls to get these from me." He placed the bells on his belt loop. "There are only two, so the one who doesn't get a bell… will be sent back to the Academy. Go." Rin and Kakashi immediately jumped back, hiding in the trees and bushes around the clearing. Obito charged right in, swiping with his kunai.

Minato easily sidestepped the attack, causing Obito to fall over on his face. The Uchiha wasn't going to go down so easily, though. He jumped right back up and continued swiping at his Sensei with all he had, which, sadly, wasn't much. Rin suddenly appeared next to Kakashi, her silence surprising him.

"We should work together." She whispered. Kakashi, though despising the idea, knew it would be what Minato wanted. He nodded, earning a huge smile from Rin. "What do you want to do?"

"Follow my lead." Kakashi vanished into trees, leaving Rin without a clue as to what he wanted. She stayed crouched in the trees, hoping she could pull off whatever he wanted. Obito continued to attack relentlessly with Minato barely moving as he dodged, he wasn't even using his famed Body Flicker, much to Obito's displeasure.

Suddenly, Obito noticed that Minato did use the Body Flicker, vanishing to a spot several yards away. Obito beamed, believing that he had caused this, until the paper bomb at his feet blew up.

"Why didn't you move?" Kakashi growled, having pulled Obito out of harm's way (by the back of his shirt) just in time.

"I didn't need you saving me!" He yelled back, straightening his shirt out.

"Obviously." Kakashi replied sarcastically. "Try to work with me here."

"No! I refuse." Obito crossed his arms and looked away. Kakashi sighed and turned toward Minato, holding his hands up in a shrug. Minato understood the gesture, that was Kakashi's way of saying "I tried and it didn't work. I'm done." Rin dropped out of the trees and ran over to them.

"Please, Obito! Work with us."

"You're working with him too?" Obito cried in outrage.

"Yes." Rin blushed slightly. She quickly brushed it off though. "We need to work together, you've heard how power Minato Sensei is; we have no chance on our own. Kakashi knows him best." Obito glared at the silver haired boy, as if doubting the claim.

"I've worked with him for eight years now." Kakashi confirmed.

"No way! When did you graduate the Academy?"

"When I was five."

"No way!" Obito yelled again. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't care if you believe me. But I need a team, so you both will pass this test." He said firmly. Rin's look of admiration only grew.

"How so?"

"Minato isn't going full out; he doesn't believe you have what it takes." His words grew quieter, but his stance was still agitated.

"You meant 'we'. You're a part of this, too."

"I could get the bells." Kakashi counted. "But that's not important. He knows I can. What he doesn't know is that you two can as well."

"You really think we can?" Rin asked hopefully.

"No." They blanched. "Not without me, at least."

"Why you…" Obito started, but Rin placed a hand over his mouth.

"Kakashi's right. We should listen to him." She gave a warm smile that immediately shut Obito up.

"Obito, you're to continue what you're doing: random attacks that plainly obvious." The raven haired boy opened his mouth to argue but Kakashi continued. "Rin, you'll join him, giving your best attempts to help, make it seem as though you two are working together."

"What will you do?" She asked.

"I'm going to storm away from you two, we're going to make it look as though we refuse to work together, which won't be hard. Once you two have Minato going for a while, I'll jump in. I'll be able to catch his full attention, and hopefully you two vanish into the trees, I'll handle it from there."

"But… how will we get the bells?" Rin asked.

"I'll handle it." Kakashi repeated. Rin thought for a moment before nodding and smiling.

"Okay! I trust you, Kakashi." Obito glared at Kakashi, but reluctantly nodded as well.

"Good. Obito, should something rude and immature."

"Like what?"

"Whatever you would normally say, you have a limited vocabulary." Kakashi shrugged.

"You… you… bastard!" Obito yelled and pointed at Kakashi. "Get away from me! Go!" Rin grabbed Obito's arm, stopping him from making a huge mistake and going after Kakashi.

"Good." Kakashi whispered. He took off into the trees, leaving Obito stunned for a moment.

"Good job, Obito!" Rin praised him. She knew that Obito had only lashed out, proving Kakashi's words true, but she felt that pointing the obvious out would only hurt their situation. Obito grinned.

"Yeah, I did do good!" He took off running toward Minato, fully prepared to do his job. Rin sighed, watching sadly for a moment as Obito fell face first over and over again. She took off after him, joining in the fight as Kakashi had instructed. She didn't fall over, but she never came close to landing a hit, either.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Rin grabbed Obito's arm and pulled him out of the way just in time to dodge the giant fireball heading for the trio. Minato smirked, his eyes narrowing slightly in the direction the fireball had come from. Kakashi leapt out of the trees and charged toward their Sensei. Rin was stunned for a moment, not able to tear her eyes away from the battle. Minato had easily switched gears, going from the relaxed dodging to heavy offence. He was fully focused on Kakashi, not paying any heed to his other two students for the moment.

"We could get the bells now!" Obito said cheerfully, but Rin pulled him back.

"Remember Kakashi's plan, we need to vanish!" Obito struggled, but after almost getting hit with another fireball he relented. The two hid in a nearby bush, watching the battle going on. Once Kakashi noticed his teammates were missing, he easily formed a giant water dragon and sent it toward Minato. Then, surprising them both, another Rin and Obito jumped from the trees and ran at the pair who were clashing with Kunai now. Obito watched in amazement as his other self performed a series of flips to avoid the flying knives. He grabbed the bells from Minato's belt and tossed one to Rin before the two vanished into the trees. Kakashi immediately jumped away from their Sensei and charged after them.

Their Sensei then noticed that the bells were missing, and laughed to himself.

"Alright, come out now!" Kakashi suddenly appeared, crouching behind Rin and Obito, who let out surprised shrieks.

"Here." He held out the bells to them.

"Thank you!" Rin accepted hers with shaking hands, blushing when her hand brushed Kakashi's. Obito glared and snatched the bell away quickly without a word. "Come on!" She grabbed each of their hands and ran out onto the field, surprising both boys. Kakashi pulled his hand away as soon as they stopped moving, but Obito held on until Rin dropped his hand just moments after.

"We got them Sensei!" Rin said happily, holding out her bell proudly. Obito clenched his tightly in his fist, glaring at the ground.

"What's wrong, Obito? You seem upset. That was a brilliant move you pulled back there, you should be proud."

"We didn't do it!" Obito yelled out. Rin's smile fell and Kakashi rolled his eyes. Minato's smile only grew.

"I know." His three students dropped their jaws in shock. "There's no way that Obito would have allowed Kakashi to do most of the work if we was capable of pulling off those moves, am I right?" Obito's frown deepened.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I didn't mean to lie…" Rin said sadly, pulling the bell close to her chest.

"There's no need to apologize." Minato smiled, kneeling down and looking Rin in the face with a kind smile. "You ended up with both bells in your possession at the end, and you worked as a team to get them. That's what I wanted."

"But we didn't work as a team!" Obito yelled, barely containing his anger. "Kakashi" He spat the name out "did all the work!"

"Now that isn't true." Minato shifted so he was looking at Obito now. "You two had a very important job to do, one that is imperative for a shinobi to know. You followed orders." Obito's frown deepened. "You were able to work with someone you don't like to get done what was needed. You may not have liked his plan, but you still followed, and you ended up with the bells, right?" Obito nodded.

"I get it!" Rin said happily. "If we hadn't acted like we couldn't work together, you would have assumed we would! Then, because you saw us run off, you believed we you wouldn't need to worry about us."

"Correct." Minato smiled brightly at her. "You three worked wonderfully as a team, congratulations. You passed."

"What?" Obito's head flew up. "You mean it?"

"Yes!" Minato gave a grin so large his eyes closed. "Now, there are still many kinks to work out, but you three will be the best team out there, I guarantee it!" Obito and Rin grinned proudly, and even Kakashi gave a slight smile.

* * *

Gai power-walked all the way to the front gates, he was muttering some kind of chant under his breath, the only words Hibari could make out as she struggled to keep up with him were "youth" and "Kakashi". Hibari let out a small giggle. Gai was so predictable. His one-sided rivalry with Kakashi was known to everyone, except Kakashi that it. Gai hadn't actually met the young Chunin yet, though Hibari felt sad for Kakashi when he finally would.

Hibari has black hair tied back in a braid with a curl left out that's always in her face and deep brown eyes. She wears a plain black tank top with a tan skirt and wrappings on her thighs. She has those puffy arm covers on her that go just from wrist to elbow; they're white with tan end bands. She wears her Hitia-ate around her neck, and it's black. As they neared the gate, Hibari noticed that their Sensei and teammate were already there. Gai, unfortunately, noticed as well and let out a wail.

"My youthfulness has failed me! I was late!"

"Gai, I'm sure they were just waiting here…" Hibari tried to comfort him while catching her breath.

"How long did we keep them waiting? We must hurry!" Gai picked up his pace so he was full out sprinting to the gates. Hibari took a deep breath before following.

"Good work! You got here early, I like that." The woman standing there told them. "I'm Tsume Inuzuka! This here is Kuromaru." She waved to the giant dog sitting beside her. He had black fur on top with white on the bottom and looked more like a wolf than a dog.

"I am Gai Might!" Gai placed one hand on his hip, held the other out in a thumbs-up, winked, and gave a grin so bright his teeth nearly sparkled. Tsume was at a loss for words, and Hibari merely sighed, this was Gai's typical pose, everyone in the class was used to it. Their new teammate was staring at Gai in disbelief. Hibari took a step closer to him and help out her hand.

"I'm Hibari Nara." She said quietly.

"Kasei Uchiha." He answered. Hibari took in his appearance and found herself blushing. Kasei had short, wavy slate colored hair and dark eyes. He was slightly tall for his age and had a sharp dip on the bridge of his nose. He wore a high collared, long sleeved, grey shirt, a jacket in a darker shade of storm cloud grey - the former including the Uchiha emblem on the back, grey pants in the same shade as his shirt, and a black weapons belt with matching pouches. He didn't shake her hand.

Hibari quickly dropped her hand, putting them both behind her back and leaning forward slightly, not disturbed by his rudeness at all. "I can't wait to start working with you." She smiled softly at him. Kasei raised an eyebrow at her behavior.

"Aha, an Uchiha! I shall test my youthfulness against you! Once I have succeeded I can then beat my rival!" Gai turned and pointed dramatically at Kasei.

"Who would that be?"

"Kakashi Hatake!" Gai proclaimed loudly. Kasei's face darkened at the name, but a smile grew on his lips.

"Looks like we have a similar goal, you see I also wish to defeat Kakashi Hatake." Gai smiled brightly and held out his hand, only he refused to let Kasei ignore it like Hibari did. He reached forward and forcibly shook the boy's hand.

"We shall work hard and defeat him then! Hibari, are you with us?" The girl, shocked, turned to him.

"Well… I… I mean I don't think I could…"

"Nonsense! Anyone can do anything with the power of youth!" Kasei finally managed to pull his hand away from Gai, who had still been shaking it vigorously. "We will help you!" Hibari smiled brightly.

"You will?" She looked to Kasei, who was glaring at Gai's hands. "You too?" Kasei glanced up Hibari's timid expression, his eyes softening slightly.

"Yes." He answered, causing her to blush.

"Thank you, both!" She turned to their teacher, who had been silently watching their exchanges, evaluating them. "Will you help as well, Tsume Sensei?"

"Of course! What do you think I'm here for?" Tsume winked at them. "Kuromaru will help as well, he's a great trainer, always working with my daughter."

"You have a daughter?" Hibari asked excitedly. Tsume laughed.

"Yes, Hana. She's four now. You'll get to meet her eventually." Hibari squealed happily. "Well let's get started. We'll do short introductions, then I have a test." She winked again, and even Kuromaru seemed to grin at them. "I'll start. You know my name; my brother is currently head of the Inuzuka clan. My partner has been with me since I was seven; he was my gift as I was entering Academy. I hope to train you three into the best Genin team out there, and I have no problems with forcing hard work on you. I believe hard work gets you places, and you will learn to agree, got it?" She waved her hand to Kasei.

"I graduated from the Academy a year ago and have been training with Tsume Sensei since then. I plan to one day become the first Uchiha Hokage, bringing peace to Konoha. I let nothing get in my way, and one day I will beat Kakashi Hatake."

"I am Gai Might!" Gai announced again. "My eternal rival is none other than Kakashi, though he doesn't know it yet, we shall have a beautiful rivalry once we meet! I will train until my youthfulness is complete! Someday, I will have a little protégé who is just like me!" Kasei grumbled about keeping young, impressionable Genin away from Gai. "The world will learn that youthful Taijutsu is just as strong and powerful as any Ninjutsu out there!" He struck is pose once again, leaving Tsume to burst out laughing. He, of course, took this as a good thing and joined in her laughter.

"I... um, well you already know my name." Hibari clasped her hands together tightly and didn't look any of her teammates in the eye. "My best friend is Chihiro, she's graduated a few years ago, though. I… well, I'm very good at my clan's jutsu. My Uncle Shikaku says that I'm as proficient as a Chunin with my Shadow Manipulation." She smiled slightly. "Oh, but I don't mean to brag, my bad."

"Never apologize for admitting you're good at something." Tsume repremended. "Always acknowledge what you do best. It intimidates others."

"Oh! Alright." Hibari smiled.

"Now our test!" Gai began running in place, getting pumped up (not that he needed it) for whatever trial they would face.

"I like that enthusiasm!" Tsume cheered. "You'll need it. You have to hide from Kuromaru until six, at which time we need to meet at Yakiniku Q." Hibari's eyes lit up.

"Will we get to eat there?"

"Yes! And, if you pass, I'll even pay for you." She winked. "You have five minutes to form a strategy and leave. I'll send Kuromaru after you then, I'll be waiting at Yakiniku Q!" She waved and walked away from the trio, her dog following after her.

"Alright, let's go!" Gai yelled, turning to run off. Kasei quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"We need a plan." He stated simply. "Kuromaru is trained as a tracker, if we aren't careful we'll fail. These tests are used to make sure we can function as a team."

"Oh!" Hibari's eyes widened as she got an idea. She quickly covered her mouth and looked down.

"You've got something?" Kasei questioned.

"Oh course she does! Hibari passed with the highest grades in our class!" Gai answered, causing Hibari to blush a little.

"Well spit it out, we're running out of time." Kasei ordered. Hibari jumped in surprise at his tone, but then quickly answered.

"We need to disguise out scent somehow. Water works, as does a lot of food." She clasped her hands tightly. "Though, it's just a thought…"

"A good one." Kasei said, his words were kind, but his voice rough. "Let's head over to the meat shop first, he'll follow our scent so we need to split after that. Head to the river on the west side of the village. We'll meet there, hide in the trees." Kasei broke into a sprint for the shop as soon as he finished his words, leaving Gai and Hibari to quickly follow after him. Gai eagerly jumped in and tried wafting the scent of meat onto his clothes. Kasei did the same, though in a more refined manner. Hibari quickly apologized to the owner, explaining the situation. She had just finished when Gai grabbed her arm and nearly flung into a pigs carcass. She squealed in disgust as Gai then flung her out of the shop, the three split up, heading in every direction but west.

She had already gone a few blocks, but Hibari quickly realized that Kuromaru was following her. Hoping her plan would work, she made a rash choice to try and confuse the dog. However, just as she tried to make a leap to the rooftops, she tripped over a loose shingle and fell down. Kuromaru was on her in a second, looking down at her in disappointment. Hibari, however, smiled back before the clone disappeared from underneath him. Kuromaru growled trying to rediscover her scent, but she had vanished.

Hibari was the last one to reach the river, Gai being the first, closely followed by Kasei.

"What took you?" He growled, shoving her roughly into the water.

"Kuromaru almost got me; I had to create a distraction!" She said as she came back up for breath. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, as long as you weren't found it's fine." Gai helped her up, both boys were already wet from having jumped in before she got there.

"Now what?" Gai asked, still fired up and ready to go. Both boys looked to Hibari.

"Oh! Umm…" She closed her eyes, thinking for a moment. "I'm sure he'll eventually find his way here, so we need to move. We should wade in the water, following it until it's almost six."

"Good." Kasei began to wade away from them, expecting them to follow. They did, Gai marching to walk next to him.

"Won't Kuromaru be waiting around the restaurant once it gets close to six?" He asked, looking between Hibari and Kasei. Hibari smacked a hand to her forehead.

"Oh course!" She blushed, realizing her mistake. "We should head out as quickly as possible and find a good hiding spot near there. We must be careful not to leave a water trail though." The boys nodded their approval of her plan.

They raced through the water, Kasei activating his Sharingan to keep a lookout for Kuromaru. Within minutes they had reached the restaurant and were now lying on the roof a block away, thinking of where they should hide.

"Could we just go in the restaurant?" Gai asked, his stomach rumbling.

"Of course not! We have to wait until six to meet Tsume Sensei." Kasei rolled his eyes. "You can wait another hour to eat."

"Actually…" Hibari started, quickly closing her mouth when she realized she'd spoken aloud.

"Speak up." Kasei demanded. She nodded, forcing herself to say her idea.

"We could go in the restaurant; we just don't meet up with Tsume Sensei yet. We can tell the owner that we're performing a test, and need to wait until six to meet our Sensei and then we'll buy food. I'm sure if we tell him we plan on eating later he'll allow us to sit." She explained quietly, unsure of her idea.

"I like that idea! It's safe, plus Kuromaru won't be able to find us, he can't go in without Tsume Sensei!" Gai agreed. They turned to Kasei, waiting for his opinion.

"Sounds good… let's just hope that doesn't break the rules." The three took a last glance around before hopping down and sprinting to the restaurant. Hibari took the task of talking to the owner while the boys stood watch.

"We're clear!" Hibari said excitedly, leading them toward a table in the back corner. "When Tsume Sensei comes in to wait for us, he said he'll direct her to our table." Kasei and Gai grinned at her.

"Now we wait." And so they did. They exchanged small talk, Kasei slowly talking more, though both teammates allowed Gai to do most of the talking. Just before six, Tsume Sensei strode back to their table with Kuromaru at her heels.

"Well I'll be. That was rather brilliant. When Kuromaru said you lot had snuck in here I almost didn't believe him. It's obvious I've got a Nara on my squad."

"You mean we pass?" Kasei asked. Tsume nodded and table broke out in cheers, mostly from Gai. Kuromaru crawled under the table and lay down as Tsume ordered their food, paying as she promised.

* * *

The students were content for now, having finally become full-fledged Genin on their very own team. Little did they know, destruction and despair would soon become too well known for ones so young.

* * *

So… this is REALLY long (11,000 words!) longer than I meant it to be, whoops! I got carried away introducing everyone. I just wanted you to remember all the new characters! Plus I needed practice writing them. I hope I got their personalities (especially the canon characters) correct! Tell me if you think I didn't. (Keep in mind, though, that everyone goes through changes, so they won't be the exact same as they are in the anime.) I hope you understand why this took so long to get out… though most of the characters came naturally and they wrote their own tests pretty much. I only had to think about what to do for two of them. I hope all the chapters aren't this long... unless you liked it, then maybe they will be.

What did you like? What didn't you like? Advice would be much appreciated!

And just for clarification:

Tadashi Nakamuro from Hollywollypolly

Chihiro Fujkaze from Rentfan12

Kaori Sara Muramato from Rentfan12 (I loved both of them so much!)

Sayuri Himaru from The Golden Lilys Secret

Hamai Namikaze from SkyeRockette

Kasumi Yoshida from Sweet Dream Kasumi

Kasei Uchiha from A Tragic Galaxy

AND Hibari Nara, who is originally from Rentfan12's mind, but I decided to make her into a full on character (if you mind tell me, I'll give her another name)

I'm also going to throw in random people you guys also mentioned, like family and some rivals and friends. I couldn't use everyone you listed, but I plan on using many! When I get around to using one of them I'll definitely mention that they came from your brain :)

Thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed :)

Also… updates won't be super fast… I'm a college student who dances… so my life is basically sucked up completely by essays and practice. Sorry! I hope it won't be too terribly long a wait though.

And I've always wanted to try this… Question for you to answer in the review: Which was your favorite team to meet?

Love, BatDarling.


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